TESSELLATIONS & M. C. Escher

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2 What are Tessellations?The word 'tessera' in Latin means a small stone cube.They were used to make up 'tessellata' - the mosaic pictures forming floors and tilings in Roman buildingsTessellations refers to pictures or tiles, mostly in the form of animals and other life forms, which cover the surface of a plane in a symmetrical way without overlapping or leaving gaps.A Roman floor mosaic

3 Escher's drawing of Alhambra tiling.The BeginningsThe tilings in the Alhambra in Spain were laid out by the Moors in the 14th century.Colored tiles forming patternsMany truly symmetrical.They are not tessellations but they inspired young M.C Escher, who copied them into his notebooks and later converted some into true tessellations.These tilings never included animals or plants.Escher’s tessellations hardly ever left them out!Escher's drawing of Alhambra tiling.

4 M. C. Escher Escher – regarded as the 'Father' of modern tessellationsFamous for his impossible depictions like WaterfallMaster of lino and wood cuts and produced many superbly crafted landscapes as well.'Waterfall'

5 M. C. EscherEscher was born in Leeuwarden in Holland on June 17th, 1898.Youngest of 4 brothers.Referred to by his initials which stand for Maurits, Cornelis.His family called him Mauk.His father was a civil engineer.The family moved to Arnhem where he grew up and went to high school.'Self Portrait in Chair'

7 M. C. EscherEscher produced '8 Heads' in a hint of things to come. Turn the picture upside-down if all the heads are not apparent.He took a boat trip to Spain and went to the Alhambra.There, he copied many of the tiling patterns.'8 Heads'

9 Crystalline Structures & WallpaperEscher showed his brother some of his work.The brother noted that it was similar to crystalline structures he had seen in a paper he read.The brother sent Professor George Pólya’s wallpaper designs from a Brussels library, saying that an artist could make use of this knowledge.Pólya 17 Symmetries

10 Escher’s Last TessellationHis last tessellation was a solution to a puzzle sent to him by Roger Penrose, the mathematician. Escher solved it and, true to form, changed the angular wood blocks into rounded 'ghosts'.Penrose 'Ghosts'

25 A Full Life Escher died on March 27, 1972. He had produced448 woodcuts, linocuts and lithos andover 2,000 drawings.M. C. EscherRhomboid possibilities notebook

26 Copyright Laws DisclaimerCertain materials are included under the Fair Use Exemption of the U. S. Copyright Law and are restricted from further use.This presentation with images and web links is for educational use only.The information contained in this presentation is accurate to the best of my knowledge.Some Clip Art images are from Microsoft Office XP and/or Microsoft Office Online.As a resource, these websites were used: